Speech Day 1965

I thought the attached Speech Day programme might be of interest given the number of names it contains.

This speech day was the year before I left but it was my last one and the last in York Place. The following year the school had moved to Patcham. I was out to work, enjoying life and had little inclination to go the the new school to pick up a couple of GCSE’s.

As a point of interest,this was the year before GCSE’s were created but, as you can see, both the 4th and 5th year classes had been restructured for them and GCE’s.

I hope this historic document is interesting and promotes many contributions.

Enjoy!

Comments about this page

  • Well, well, well. Fame at last for my brother, John Chanona. His name appears on the 5th page 15th down. A very nice document that will bring back many memories I’m sure for my brother.

    By Lee Chanona (22/08/2009)
  • Ken, could you remember why the GCE’s were split up between Oxford, London, etc? All ours were done with one examination board at my grammar school. Cheers.

    By Stefan Bremner-Morris (23/08/2009)
  • Ken…. Thank you for sharing the 1965 Fawcett Speech Day program with us; it certainly brought back many memories and familiar names of class mates who were both close friends and competition on the field of play! I recall fondly the competition in the swimming pool against David West…. one could never catch him but coming second to David was still an accomplishment to be proud off. Who could forget Clive Boxall, our fast bowler of the school cricket team; and to think that the batsmen of that time did not wear safety helmets!! With all this sports talk its no surprise that in 1965 I was the recipient of the “Sportsmanship Medal”, an honor that I still recall today. Along with the medal I was allowed to spend one pound at the Bredon’s Bookshop on East Street, purchasing two books; Engineered Drawing for 12/6p and Geometrical & Mechanical Drawing for 10/0p…. I guess I had to pay the difference of half a crown! The books are still in my possession, signed by the headmaster. In 1965 I obviously had a strong desire to make drafting a career – but not to be; finishing up here in the USA involved with the responsibility of developing global sales & marketing strategies for CNC machine tools. John Horn

    By John H Horn (26/08/2009)
  • To Stefan: I seem to remember in some subjects the teacher decided, on the basis of each syllabus, which exam board was chosen. In my own case the English master entered me for both the London and Oxford English Language exam. This resulted in me leaving school with 4 GCSEs but two of them in the same subject! Regards.

    By Ken Gray (20/09/2009)
  • To Lee Chanona. When your brother was very young did he live in Powis Square in Brighton? If he did then I remember us being good friends and playing together. I seem to remember him trying, unsuccessfully, to teach me chess at one time! Strangely, I don’t remember him at Fawcett, but I guess our lives changed so much as we got older. If the Powis Square lad is your brother I would be delighted to hear of him. Regards

    By Ken Gray (20/09/2009)
  • Yes, that was my brother at Powis Square. I will pass on your name. Lives do change, that’s an understatement.

    By Lee Chanona (04/11/2009)
  • Hi Ken. Thank you for adding this page. I like to think I remember the day but it is hazy. What I do remember is being a second year prefect and as such being one of the last people out of the school as it closed and went to Patcham. I was back in 2000 and went to Patcham but it had closed. The names I really remember in school tended to come from Lower Bevendean, Clive Boxell and Bob Polkinghorn. However a lot of the names are coming back to me. It is funny living in New Zealand and looking at this page brings back great memories. Best regards

    By Patrick Seaman (18/06/2010)
  • Hi Ken. Great site. Several of my customers who have associations with the Shiverers swimming club had not heard of David West who I remember was swimming in national competitions and so would have been a notable member of the Shiverers. Whilst investigating, John Horn’s name came up. I remember playing cricket with him once only and scoring a mighty six over square leg which not only cleared our ground but that of the adjacent ground at Dorothy Stringers ground. My meagre claim to fame was that I was chess captain for the whole of my Fawcett School days. I used to hang around with Richard Standing who ended up being my best man and Roger Shaw. Unfortunately, according to Mr Bolton our 5th form teacher, their academic ability did not rub off on me. Would like to hear from anyone in my class in 1964.

    By Peter Plassing (25/07/2012)
  • Hi there. What memories, reading all the names brings it all back. Has there ever been a reunion?J ohn Horne passed this on to me and he now lives and works in America. If anyone on this list remembers me, please get in touch.

    By Clive Boxell (10/02/2013)
  • Hi Clive (and everybody else). I am in Brighton between 29th April and 2nd May 2013 and doing the back to roots stuff (as one does). Back to look at York Road, Lower Bevendean, Brighton etc. If you or anyone is around who can remember me (one hell of a long time ago), it would be nice to catch up. seaman@paradise.net.nz Many thanks

    By Patrick Seaman (07/04/2013)
  • I was in this year at Fawcett School. Although I enjoyed my last couple of years there, it was, I imagine, a fairly bleak place for many. I suspect that a lot of the teachers were more interested in ‘containment’ than education and many wielded power by the use of a leather strap or a cane. By 1964, the school seemed to be a much nicer and more interesting place to be. Those of us who ‘stayed on’, found the more human side of Jazz Bolton, for example and we learned a lot from him. Mr Webb was also an excellent teacher at the time. He kept discipline in a quiet sort of way, without needing to use straps or canes. I think that he, unlike a number of other teachers, really enjoyed teaching and respected those he taught. Some had, perhaps, burnt out or never really enjoyed the work. 

    I also remember learning the violin with a very charismatic, part time, teacher who I can only remember as ‘Mac’. He was inspirational and I now wonder why he didn’t do more mainstream teaching. I never learned to play the violin very well but I still play jazz and blues piano. 

    I must have learned, generally, from Fawcett. I went on to get a PhD and to be a university professor and a vice dean. I wrote and had published 38 books.  I am now retired and living in South Wales. We have two grown up children. It would be good to hear from others who were listed in this programme and who have memories of Fawcett. 

    By Philip Burnard (19/03/2014)
  • It was great to read your comments Philip. I agree with so many of them, particularly how it was prior to 1964. I remember being terrified when I joined in 1960. Not only of the teachers but also of the boys – brutes, bullies, gangsters and thugs they seemed to me. As you say, things changed later and most of us seem to have done alright and had fulfilling lives. I’m not sure that was because of the school or despite it!

    By Ken Gray (07/06/2014)
  • I remember playing the violin but don’t recall the name of the teacher, I only wanted to play because I could watch the girls next door playing netball. I was in Derek Keates’ class and was very friendly with Graham Martin, a chap called Papadopolus and I have a school photo of us all on a school trip to London zoo. I was at Fawcett only for 2 years (1960-63’ish). I came from Tunbridge Wells and my parents had the Preston Café, up London Road  opposite Preston Drove. I would like to hear from anyone that remembers me. I married a local girl and we emigrated to New Zealand in 1967, still here!

    By Peter Rogers (27/01/2015)
  • Im delighted to see this document as it made me laugh to see that I won the Elocution Prize , nominated by Sam Webb !

    By Geoffrey Coupland (04/06/2019)

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